Hidden Moments
by QuidditchGirl30
Summary: Moments that should have passed between them after episodes such as Original Song and Prom Queen. F/R. Reviews seriously appreciated!
1. Original Song

Everyone else had already left to board the bus, but he lingers behind stage, watching and waiting. Her small frame bounces up and down, gushing about the performance to Mr. Shue. Mr. Shue is laughing and has his hands held out in an attempt to stop her from jumping. She beams at him, and she is completely radiant.

Finn's lips curve into a small smile. She was always this way…always so damn _cute._ He briefly thinks back to their time together, and can't come up with a memory that doesn't involve her being adorable in some way. He knows there were times when he found her aggravating, but she was still so lovable. No matter whether they were in a fight or not, he always knew that everything would turn out okay in the end.

Well, except for this last time.

His eyes lower to the floor, and then eventually flicker back up to her. How did they come to this? They were _so happy_ when they were together. She was his best friend, his confidant, the girl he was absolutely, completely, in love with, and he found her to be like, the coolest, most awesomest person ever. And now what?

Shit happened.

Shit that neither of them can take back. Stupid, stupid mistakes. He should never have lied to her about Santana, and she should never have made out with Puck. He cringes at the thought. She tore out his heart that day, and for weeks he would just lie in bed in boxers and a t-shirt with stains on it and wish he would never wake up. He never, _ever_ though his sweet, little Rachel could do such a thing to him. But she did. You can't just forget stuff like that.

And yet at the same time, despite all of the betrayal and the days that he spent in misery and consuming nothing but grilled cheese, he knew she didn't mean it. He knew she didn't really have feelings for Puck. His mind tears through the past couple of months, of him avoiding her, of her sad, depressed looks. He told her on Valentine's Day that he couldn't be with her, and he was telling the truth. He couldn't physically be around her when he hurt so badly. So he turned to Quinn. The pursuit and familiarity he had with her seemed to sustain him for awhile; and for the most part it kept his mind of off Rachel and the emptiness that she left in his heart. Or something like that.

But _now _what?

Mr. Shue makes a motion that seems to try and encourage her to head out to the bus, but she doesn't take the bait. She continues to chatter, and Finn thinks he can hear the words "New York" and "Broadway" come from her mouth. He casts a worried glance behind him. Quinn is probably on the bus worrying about him, and she will _not _be happy seeing him walk out with Rachel.

But he seriously can't just ignore her, after she apologized to him in front of _an entire audience._ With hundreds of people. Who even does something as awesome as that?

Rachel.

He's not sure he has even digested what just happened. She wrote that song _for him. _Everything she said, all of that hard work, was so that she could apologize _to him_. He swallows, 'cause suddenly his mouth has gone dry.

And as Mr. Shue rests a hand on her shoulder, and points her in Finn's direction, he only is sure of one thing. That when she was singing, and he was hearing her words wash over him, he felt something. When she looked back to make sure that he was listening and their eyes locked, feelings for her stirred within him that he hadn't felt in months. And he's not sure that he's ready for them yet.

He has no time to think about it anymore because she sees him and stops. She casts her head down and wrings her hands. He can't believe it. She's nervous? After all of that she's nervous to talk to him?

"Hi, Finn," she says softly, her eyes trained to his feet.

He takes a step closer and her big brown eyes look up at him and suddenly he feels like his heart is in his mouth. "That was…totally awesome, Rach." He really wishes he is better with words.

Even so, a ghost of a smile appears on her face. "Really?"

"Yea, I mean…I don't know how you went from 'Only Child' to that, but…" She giggles, and he grins in response. His heart swells at the sound, and in the back of his mind he pictures Quinn glaring at him, but he's too happy to care.

He swallows, suddenly serious. "Rachel, you are so talented, so much more than the rest of us, and that song proved it even more. I know things haven't been okay with us, and they probably won't be okay for awhile, but I just wanted tell you, you know…thank you."

His words hang between them. She smiles slightly and nods. Her eyes are full of understanding. She gets it. And once again, he is in awe of her. She always has had the crazy ability to know exactly what he means even when words fail him.

They look at each other a long moment. "Come on." He turns and gestures for her to follow him, because once again he's thinking of the song and her and all that they've been through and he's getting kinda emotional again and he _really _doesn't want her to see that.

The serious moment passes, and suddenly she is next to him, beaming. "You know, I think you could write an amazing song too if you put your mind to it."

He resists the urge to snort. "Yea right. No, I'll leave the awesome songwriting to you, Rach."

He's used her nickname twice that night. They're beginning to feel comfortable around each other again.

They glance at each other and smile.

The healing has begun.


	2. Born This Way

I hope you all forgive me for skipping Night of Neglect. There wasn't really much to go on, except maybe a scene of them admiring each other for being leaders and whatnot. I don't really know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, because if I did, Finchel would have never broken up and I wouldn't have to do this right now, would I?

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><p>The song ends, people clap, and Kurt taps her affectionately on the nose.<p>

Rachel is completely overwhelmed. There are still some lingering dancers, but for the most part, the area has cleared out. Except for the Glee members, of course. She gazes at their smiling, encouraging faces and can't believe that she is this lucky. To have so many people who love her for who she is, when a year ago half of them wouldn't even acknowledge her in the hallways, is such a blessing to her that she feels like she could just cry.

She hugs Kurt one more time, and then Puck for actually _bringing_ her here, and then suddenly she's being passed through everyone. She laughs, and warm tears are pricking at her eyes as Brittany, Lauren, Sam, Tina, Mike, and even Santana envelope her into a hug.

"Thank you all, so much," she says, her voice thick with emotion. Artie holds out a hand and she grabs it, laughing back her tears. The group has formed a circle around her, and their faces reveal their love and care for her. "I suppose this whole nose thing has been a bit ridiculous…"

"A _bit_?" Tina scoffs.

"Try completely uncalled for," Sam adds, nodding to Puck next to him.

Rachel blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I understand that now. And it was all because of you. You guys are the best. I am so thankful for—."

"Oh, God, I'm not doing this." Santana interrupts, holding up a hand. "I don't need another one of your sappy speeches that makes me want to stab a pencil in my eye. Look, Berry, before you go and do something stupid, just…think about it first. We all have something we're ashamed of, and the point we're trying to make is that you shouldn't feel compelled to change who you are. Even if sometimes your personality is like nails on a chalkboard. That's all I have to say. I'm leaving now."

Despite the jab, Rachel smiles as Santana marches away. A year ago, Santana's words would have cut her to the core and reminded her of why no one liked her. Now, a small part of her knows that Santana doesn't hate her as much as she used to, and may even enjoy her as friend.

Well…that may be pushing it.

"Santana's right." Kurt grabs her by the shoulders and wheels hers around to face him. "We love you…for who you are. And I think Barbra would agree with me when I say that you don't have to change your appearance in order for us to love you."

For the first time since the idea of a nose job nettled itself in her mind, Rachel doesn't argue. She simply beams and her head bobs slightly in response. The circle begins to dwindle, as Brittany wheels away a waving Artie and Mike and Tina skip off hand-in-hand to the escalator.

Kurt sticks around with her, shooting her encouraging smiles, until everyone says their goodbyes. After a moment, he turns to her with clasped hands. "Now, Blaine is waiting for me in Starbucks and I have to have a pick-me-up. Do you want to join us? I don't want to you to feel uncomfortable at all, you know, with being the third wheel and-."

"I can take it from here."

The voice comes from behind her, and her breath catches in her throat. It's _his _voice. She glances up at Kurt, who is trying to suppress a knowing smile.

She turns, trying to calm her beating heart. "Finn?" she asks hesitantly.

He stands awkwardly before her, his hands shoved in his pockets. He smiles shyly and jerks his head toward the exit. "I know Puck drove you here, but I think he's like now on a date with Lauren or something." He glances down at his shoes. "Do you mind if I drive you home? I have the truck."

Rachel simply stares at him, her heart in her mouth. Ever since Regionals, he had been considerably sweeter to her, but still, this was certainly a step up from just complimenting her. Though, she argues with herself, he did say she was beautiful in front of the entire class, including Quinn, and that's not something he did before Regionals either. They had become friends again beforehand, but she had noticed a definite shift ever since her song. The thought warms her to her core.

She realizes abruptly that she hasn't responded and he's looking at her expectantly with the most adorable smile on his face. He almost looks nervous. "I…I suppose so," she finally responds, lifting a shoulder to appear nonchalant.

His smile widens. "Cool."

Kurt heaves a sigh, looking suspiciously satisfied. "Thank you for your chauffeuring skills, Finn. Well, Rachel, I hope you understand what the meaning was behind all of this."

Rachel nods vigorously, pulling him in for another hug. "Thank you, Kurt. For everything."

Kurt merely waves his hand. "You just needed some convincing. See you tomorrow."

He bounces off. Rachel takes a shuddering breath and begins to follow Finn out of the mall. "You really don't have to do this, Finn. I can call my dads to come and pick me up."

"I want to," he murmurs, holding the door open for her.

"How chivalrous," she giggles as they step out into the bright sunlight. Rachel winces and blinks furiously. Finn immediately slips on sunglasses, chuckling at Rachel's reaction.

"Come on, I think I have another pair in the truck."

So she walks beside him to his car, acutely aware of the way his arm occasionally brushes against hers and thinking oh, how _angry_ would Quinn be if she knew about this? Speaking of Quinn, does she even know he is here? Rachel understands why _she _wouldn't want to come, but she also probably wouldn't approve of Finn coming to support her, either.

The thoughts dash out of her head as soon as Finn opens the door for her and she climbs up into the seat, with some difficulty. Finn snorts at her as he closes her door and walks around the truck. "You know, sometimes I forget how tiny you really are. Here," he says, after digging around in the side door and pulling out a pair of big, diva glasses, "do these work? I'm guessing they're Kurt's, because of the jewel-like…things…"

Rachel accepts them gratefully and puts them on. "How do I look?"

"Like a rockstar." Finn shoots her a lopsided grin before turning on the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

Rachel smiles to herself before casting her gaze down to her folded hands. He drives in silence, with sporadic drum beats on his steering wheel as his only form of entertainment. She watches in amusement as he bobs his head to imaginary music. He catches her staring at him and his face colors faintly. She giggles and turns her eyes toward the road. This, she realizes, is comfortable. She feels content. No, she feels content _with him._ And that's something she hasn't felt in a long time.

She feels almost as if, well…as if nothing ever happened.

But of course, that's too good to be true.

Finn finally breaks the silence. "So, is it official? Are you going to cancel your appointment?" The hopeful tone of his voice is so adorable, and he reminds her of a little boy.

Rachel straightens in her seat. "I…believe that in order to create a legacy for myself like Barbra I have to be confident and comfortable with myself. Even if I am slightly less desirable than, well…others, I have to know that one day little girls will look up to me and will be inspired by me. So, to answer your question, yes. I will cancel the appointment."

"Yes!" he whoops, throwing a fist in the air. Rachel lets out a loud laugh, blushing, and he joins in. "I _knew _Kurt would be able to help me."

Rachel's laughter dies as she processes his words. Did…did he just say that? "Kurt would help…_you_?"

He seems to realize what he said. "I—uh…I meant us. Like, the whole group and stuff. Since he's back, we figured he would know best how to help us with your, uh...Barbravention. Yea."

He presses his lips together and keeps his eyes fixed on the road. Normally, Rachel would push the issue, but everything has been very good between them and she really doesn't want to mess it up, so she drops it.

"I see. I do want to formally announce it tomorrow when we all present our t-shirts, so if you would be so kind as to not tell anyone, I'd greatly appreciate it."

His shoulders relax a little when she changes the subject, and he nods at her request. Clouds glide across the sun, so he pulls of his sunglasses. "Yea, 'course. Totally. I was thinking of putting 'Can't Dance' on my shirt. What do you think?"

Rachel holds a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her giggles. "Aw, Finn…I thought your 'I Gotta Be Me' performance was amazing!"

"Yea, for my singing. Mike carried the dancing. My dancing is shit. And let's not forget, Rach, I _fucking broke your nose_."

Rachel gasps, swatting his arm. "Finn! Language!" she cries in-between laughter.

He pulls into her driveway, grinning. "Sorry, sorry. But c'mon, it's like totally true. I think I've accepted it. Maybe."

She swipes at her eyes, which grew wet from her laughter, and nods. "Well, I've accepted my nose. So we're even."

"Cool. And it looks like, ten times better, by the way. I can barely notice that it was broken, especially with those sunglasses on."

Rachel feels her cheeks grow warm as she pulls them off. "I guess you should put these back in the door. Kurt would probably freak out if he doesn't get them back," she says quietly.

Finn accepts them, but turns them over in his hands. "Whatever. I think you look better in them anyway."

Her eyes lift up and lock with his. Her heart is pounding again, because his gaze his so sincere and so intense that she doesn't know how to react. All of the feelings, all of the emotions that she has been trying to bury in her heart for the past few months seem to spring to the surface in an instant. There is no noise except for the truck rattling beneath Finn's hands. She feels completely vulnerable, as if she were a freshman again about to get slushied by a football player.

But, this isn't any football player.

This is Finn.

She thinks he's aware of the shift between them too. It's almost as if they were two cars on a train, and for months they have been derailed. But after awhile, after so much pain and hurt, they are finally finding their way back on track. And they both know it.

She's not sure if they can stop it. She's not sure she wants them to.

Because she knows that she never really fell _out_ of love with him. She's just now falling even _more _in love with him. And he's starting to look at her again…like the way he used to. As if he is completely in awe of her.

And she feels like she could fly.

"Well, I suppose I should get going," she whispers, swallowing the lump in her throat.

The spell is broken. Finn blinks, swallows, and looks at the steering wheel. "Yea." His voice sounds strained.

Rachel reaches for the door handle and pauses. "Thank you so much, Finn. For…for reassuring me. For helping me to be content with my appearance. And well," she casts him a knowing smile, "for talking to Kurt as well."

He returns the gesture. "Yea, well…sometimes you just need to be pushed in the right direction."

She hops out and walks toward her door, only to be called back. She turns and hurries over to his window.

"Yes, Finn?" she says, suddenly feeling breathless.

"Look, Rach…" he takes in a deep breath and taps his fingers against the steering wheel. He appears anxious. "I know I sound like a broken record, but I gotta say this. Just…don't ever change. Ever. Not your appearance, not your personality, nothing, despite what Santana says. 'Cause she doesn't know the real you. I think she's learning, but she still has a long way to go." He turns to her, and his expression softens when he sees her glittering eyes. "And if you ever, _ever_ think about changing yourself, come talk to me. And I will go to every length to talk you out of it. Got it?"

"Yea," she breathes, wiping at her eyes.

"Oh, and feel free to make a jibe at me tomorrow about your nose. You know, when you announce it and all. 'Cause I still feel like a total douche."

She laughs and then sniffs, nodding her head. "I will. And…Finn?"

"Hmm?"

Her smile fades. The question has been on the tip of her tongue the entire car ride, and she can't stand to not ask it. "Does Quinn know about this?"

He licks his lips and puts the car in reverse, letting out a low rumble of irritation. For a moment, she's afraid he's completely pissed at her again and won't answer, but then he turns to her. "Yes, and she didn't want me to come."

Without another word, he rolls up his window and backs out of her driveway, waving as he pulls away.

She can feel that he wanted to say something more, but he didn't need to. His eyes said it all.

_But I came anyway._

And that spoke volumes.

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><p>Reviews are seriously appreciated. Hope you enjoyed it. Updates to come.<p>

QG30


	3. Rumours

The language is a bit stronger in this chapter, so I'm sorry if that is offensive, but I picture an angry Finn as a cursing Finn.

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><p>"Finn, if you want to be with me, no more songs with her."<p>

What. The. _Fuck_.

No, seriously. Who the _fuck_ does she think she is? Finn gapes at Quinn's retreating form, his arms held out in shock and his heart pounding in fury.

He turns back to the group, trying to read their reactions. For the most part, they're either completely uninterested or sitting there with their mouths hanging open. Mr. Shue awkwardly stands up and walks over to Finn.

"Well, guys, I suppose we should…"

Finn doesn't hear him, because he's too busy staring at Rachel, who looks like she's going to cry. She refuses to meet his gaze, choosing only to look pointedly at the drum set. He doesn't need to look her straight in the eye to see the hurt written in her features.

Ugh. Damn.

Not only did he manage to piss off his girlfriend, but now he's upset Rachel. And he still can't tell if Quinn is cheating on him. And now he's apparently not allowed to sing duets with Rach. Fantastic. His life is awesome right now.

No, really. He's loving it.

He clenches his fists and blinks furiously. He's not really sure where he stands with Rachel. The feelings he had for her have been starting to resurface lately and it's scaring him because they're like, _way_ more intense than they were before and definitely more than his feelings for Quinn and he's not really sure what to do and now Quinn might be cheating on him and _shit shit shit_.

Well, he can't really fix things with Rachel at the moment, so without telling Mr. Shue, he spins on his heel and walks out of the choir room. He knows where she's going to be, and sure enough, she's at her locker, pouting. She glances up at him, and he can see a glimpse of panic shoot across her face. But then she slams her locker and it's gone.

"What the hell was that?" he exclaims, approaching her.

She turns to him, her hand resting on her hip in defense. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I upset you?"

He throws up his hands. "Quinn, you can't dictate who I can and can't sing a duet with!"

"Well I'm sorry but I just can't do it anymore. I can't sit there and watch you and Rachel serenade each other. Ugh, God…I want to puke just thinking about it!" She shakes her head and crinkles her nose.

He wants to laugh. "You know that we have the best chance at winning Nationals if Rachel and I sing together, right? And what do you mean 'serenade'? We're just singing."

Okay, he knows he totally just lied through his teeth right there, but he isn't really in the mood to fight. Sure enough, Quinn scoffs and raises her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Bullshit. Why can't you just respect the fact that I'm not comfortable with you singing with her! You can sing with anybody else…_just not with her._"

"Quinn!" he cries, bringing his hands up to massage his temple, because it's starting to hurt like hell. "You can't do this! I can sing with whoever I damn well please. And it's ridiculous if you feel threatened enough by her to try and control me like this."

"Finn," she says slowly, as if he is a two year old that doesn't understand the meaning of 'no', "I am your girlfriend. I feel uncomfortable. Why can't you respect that?"

God, he hates it when she talks to him like he's stupid. "Why can't _you_ respect me enough to trust me? Didn't we _just _sing about this?"

She purses her lips and crosses her arms against her chest. "I stand by what I said, Finn. If you sing a duet with her, I will leave Glee club. And we'll just have to see about how our relationship pans out."

Without another word, she turns and stalks off, her arms unfolding to rest on her hips. Finn runs his hands through his hair in anger. _Fuck._

This is _his _decision. She can't try and demand something as _ridiculous _as not singing with Rachel and actually expect him to follow through. Because, at this moment, he honestly can't imagine _never _singing with Rachel again. Singing with her has been like, helping him through all of his emotions and stuff. Things just feel better and, well, _right _when he sings with her. And he can't lose that.

He glances down the hallway after Quinn, only to see that Rachel has stepped out of the choir room and is slowly making her way toward her locker. She shifts her bag on her shoulder and brushes her hair out of her face, and he can sense that she is still thinking about it, about his duet with Quinn. Even while singing, he knew that deep down, it didn't _feel _right. It just wasn't the same. And when you sing, it's supposed to feel right…right? And the only time he feels that way is when he sings with Rachel.

He swallows thickly. _God, what the hell am I doing?_ He's falling—well, tumbling really—back in love with her, and he totally knows it. And even though there's a large part of him that is screaming at him to put on the brakes, to think about Quinn, to remember what she did to him, to stop, he _can't. _He simply can't.

Before he knows what he is doing, he is standing next to her, resting a shoulder on the locker beside hers.

She acknowledges him with a tilt of the head, but refuses to meet his gaze. "Hi, Finn," she says quietly. "Should you even be talking to me right now?"

His eyes dart across the hallway to make sure that Quinn has definitely left, but then he catches himself. _It should not be this way! _he wants to scream. "Look, Rach, I'm not really sure what's going on right now, but-."

"I know," she interrupts, grabbing a textbook. "Quinn feels threatened by our outstanding chemistry during our performances and wants to prevent it from happening again. I think it's actually very simple."

He licks his lips, irritation brewing in the pit of his stomach. "Well, she's not going to keep us from singing duets. We're like, the _best _possible chance Glee club has to win Nationals. And and…it's my choice who I sing with, and if I want to sing with you, then I should be able to."

"Why?" she says softly, finally, _finally_ turning her head to look at him. "You weren't even interested in singing a duet with me earlier, so why do you suddenly want to? I mean, what Quinn is saying makes sense…even you can't deny the fact that when we sing…" she breaks off, pursing her lips.

His expression softens. "There's something there?" he responds quietly. When she doesn't reply, he shrugs his shoulders. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was distracted and worried about Quinn. It's not that I didn't want to sing with you, I just…"

"I know," she whispers.

They're silent. She ducks her head to look at her feet, and he winces slightly. _How can he fix this?_ He wants to, needs to sing with her, but he's not allowed to, and he really wants to go against Quinn's demands, but he doesn't want to face her wrath either, and…

Wait.

_Wait._

His face brightens as realization washes over him. "I know what we can do," he says, smiling.

Her head jerks up and she frowns in confusion. "Finn, we can't sing a duet. We can't afford to lose Quinn right before Nationals and she'll probably break up with you."

He shakes his head. "No, we won't sing a duet. But," he points a finger and nearly laughs out loud, he is so giddy. "_You _will sing. _I _will play drums."

Her frown deepens. "Okay," she says slowly. "So we won't be defying her demands, but…" Then, almost as if on cue, her confusion dissolves into a trademark Rachel Berry smile as she grasps what he's saying. "Maybe…just maybe we'll have enough chemistry to be rebellious."

"And prove that she can't keep us from singing duets."

Her grin matches his, and she holds up her fist. "Let's do this."

His fist bumps hers, and then she begins to rattle off possible song ideas, but it's all he can do not to think that _this feels right. _

The thought sends weird, happy feelings to his stomach, but as she leads him off into the choir room, he leaves that battle to be fought another day.

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><p>AN: Prom Queen is already written, so I'll have that up soon. Not really sure if I'll continue after that though, since the last two episodes speak for themselves :P. Reviews are greatly, greatly appreciated.


	4. Prom Queen

Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews :)

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><p>She is completely exhausted. Her feet are really, <em>really <em>sore. Her eyes are bleary—it is way too late for her. Her ears are ringing from all of the singing and shouting, and she can feel her cheek smarting from Quinn's hand. She is one of the last people there (why miss out on the possibility of another dance?), and she eyes the open doorway warily. There is _no _way she is walking home, with or without shoes. It simply isn't happening.

She trudges over to the entrance where all the girls put their belongings and grabs her clutch. She quickly calls her dads to come pick her up, and sighs in frustration when they say it will be another half hour. As she stuffs her phone back into her clutch, she looks around at the deserted gym. Well, she isn't going to awkwardly stand in there, now is she?

Rachel steps out into the night. The spring breeze is cool and refreshing compared to the stuffiness of the gym. She takes in a deep breath. Her feet are screaming at her, and she looks around for a place to sit and wait. The majority of the cars have rolled out, and the only people still hanging around outside are a group of girls giggling in a tight circle and a lone figure sitting on the curb.

_Good idea._ Slowly, but with a hint of determination, she makes her way down the sidewalk and to the edge of the curb. She has no idea how she managed to survive in these heels all night, but she feels like she can't walk a step further. She adamantly refuses to take them off, for that is a sign of defeat and there is no defeat in show business. She's too tired to try and socialize with the hunched figure, so she moves a little away from him.

However, as she is sitting down, she makes the mistake of glancing over at him at the same time that he looks up at her. She freezes.

"Rachel." He sounds pleasantly surprised.

"Finn." Her voice is suddenly very thick.

She swallows the lump in her throat and makes her way over to him. It would have been rude to _not_ sit next to him, right? She sits a respectable distance from him and rests her hands on her knees. Silence falls between them, and the amount of tension kills her. He picks up a rock from the gravel and throws it as far as he can.

She watches him for awhile, but then cannot wait any longer. "Why are you still here? I thought you would have left by now," she whispers.

He lets out a cold laugh. "I was Quinn's ride. She's already furious with me, so I figured I'd stick around and at least give her a lift home. But from the looks of it," he turns and acknowledges the empty building behind them, "she already left."

_About fifteen minutes ago._ "Yea, I believe she has."

He exhales sharply and shakes his head, chucking another rock in the empty lot. "Figures."

They lapse into silence again. A car pulls up and the girls pile in. Now they're really alone, and her comfort is steadily decreasing.

"You have a ride right?" He asks abruptly, turning to her with wide eyes.

She smiles. Always the gentleman. "Yes, my dads are coming."

"Oh, okay. Good." He grabs a pile of rocks and stares at them in his hands. She watches him, because she can't think of any more small talk. All she really wants to do is talk to him, _really _talk to him. Because it's been so long so since they've had a really good conversation and God, she misses him. She misses her best friend so terribly.

She feels like she is about to explode from the tension, when he breaks it. "I'm such a jerk. I'm so sorry, Rachel. I…I didn't mean to ruin your night or anything, I just…"

"No, it's okay. I get it." She nods her head and smiles a little, because she can't stand the pained expression on his face and desperately wants to make it go away.

"No, it's not." His voice is a bit louder than usual. "Not only did I ruin prom for me, but also for Quinn, Jesse, and you." He swallows deeply and turns his head to look at her. "Well, I don't give a shit about Jesse, but I shouldn't have wrecked your night. I'm sorry."

Rachel tears her gaze away from his and stares down at her hands. She wants to ask it, but she can't. What if he won't answer? What if it's a stupid reason? What if it wasn't about her at all?

But then suddenly she can't help herself. "Finn?"

"Yea?"

She fiddles with her bangs. "What happened back there? Why did you do that?"

Her voice comes out in a hopeful whisper, and she wants to hit herself. He takes a long time with his response, and she sees in his expression that he wants to say it right. "Because…" he sighs deeply. "Because after all this time, I know you Rachel. And I know that even though you were having a good time in there with him, the moment he put his lips on your neck, I…"

He breaks off, his jaw clenching. Rachel sits and waits, her heart pounding.

He turns to her. "I was watching you, and I saw panic. I saw panic in your eyes, Rachel. So I lost it." He chuckles to himself. "I barely even remember it now."

Her heartbeat thuds in her ears. He is back to staring at the pavement, so he doesn't see her adoring gaze. Tears prick in her eyes. _How, _after all this time, can he know her _so well?_

"Thank you," she breathes, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much, Finn."

His head swivels and he frowns slightly, confused. But then it dawns on him. He was right. What he did, and all of the anguish he put Quinn through that night, had a purpose. Because he was right. When Jesse started kissing her neck, Rachel began to feel incredibly uncomfortable, but hadn't really known how to react. She could have held her own, certainly, but now knowing that Finn knew exactly how she felt, and was ready to defend her, is amazing to her. And it gives her such unlimited hope, hope in _them_, that she practically beams at him. Without thinking, she places a hand on his arm. He looks down at it, and she is afraid that she went too far, but then he covers her hand with his. And for the first time that night, he returns her smile.

A car horn goes off behind them, and Rachel instinctively jumps and swivels around. The empty building stares back at her, and she laughs softly to herself.

"Must have been from the other side of the building," she muses to herself, slightly embarrassed by her jumpy reflexes.

But when she looks back at him, his expression is suddenly very dark, and he is staring at her intently. "Finn? What's wrong?"

"What the hell happened to your cheek?" he spits out.

_Oh, God._ Because of the way she is sitting, he had only been getting glimpses of her left cheek, but when she had turned, the light above them exposed her entire face.

She had completely forgotten about her cheek. She impulsively raises her hand to the bruise. It stings to her touch. _Now what am I going to do? _She knows she can never, _ever _admit that it was Quinn, but who can she name instead?

"I…uh…" she stumbles out. "It was nothing, really…"

He scoots closer to her, and then his hands are cupping her face so that he can turn it back into the light. "God, Rach. I literally see a handprint. Who did this to you?"

Rachel tries to focus on his question, but she can't. His touch is soft, caring, loving, and everything that she remembers it to be. And after all this time he is so close to her and she never thought he'd be this close ever again. Her eyes flutter, and she wishes she could soak in this moment forever, for she fears this may be her last chance.

"…Rachel?"

She opens her eyes. He is looking at her earnestly, with a slight twinge of anxiety. His hands are really, really warm. It's as if he hasn't noticed yet that his hands are holding her face, _Rachel's _face, not Quinn's. And she's dreading the moment when he realizes that.

They stare at each other for a long moment. His expression is so familiar, she's seen it on him before, yet she can't place it.

"Y-You don't have to take care of me, you know."

"I want to."

There it is. Sophomore year. He had just joined Glee Club. How could she forget?

"_You know, you can kiss me if you want to."_

"_I want to."_

Her breath catches, and she knows by his expression that he remembers too. There are so many things to remember, so many memories.

"Rachel?" he murmurs. "Who slapped you?"

She wants to tell him. She wants to tell him _so badly._ She knows now that in this moment, when they are both vulnerable and the only thing between them is raw emotion, she can tell him and nothing will be the same. Would he break up with Quinn? Maybe. She can't say for sure, but based the emotion in his eyes, she can guess that he probably would. But that is a chance. Would he then get back together with her? That is an even bigger chance.

She's not sure if she is ready to take that chance.

And then they hear the roar of an engine and the honk of horn, and her moment is lost. Finn immediately drops his hands as she jumps to her feet. Her daddy pulls up beside them, and she has no idea what to say.

"…You'll get home okay?"

"Yea." He's staring off, lost in daze. Her vision blurs with tears and a lump grows in her throat. That may have been it. She has been trying _so hard _for so long to get him back, and for the first time, he didn't push her away. But she didn't try hard enough this time.

She can't deal with it any longer, so she turns and heads to the car, tears spilling from her lids the moment her back is to him. She reaches the car and opens the door, only to be stopped once more.

"Rachel?" She pauses and looks over her shoulder. He's standing where she left him, his jaw clenched. "Was it Quinn?"

And she can't answer. She absolutely can't. Her face crumbles and gets into the car without another word. Her daddy pulls away, and when she looks back she can still see him standing there, watching her drive away.

"Was that Finn, honey?" her daddy asks, slightly confused.

She wipes at her eyes, but the tears keep flowing. "Yes, Daddy. That was Finn."

Her eyes flicker to the mirror, and she catches a glimpse of his face, and the anguish that is etched in his features. And, for a moment, she dares to hope again. Because maybe, just maybe, there was more to his fight with Jesse than he let on. Maybe he just didn't want to see her dancing with him.

Maybe he is beginning to love her again.

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><p>Not sure if I'm going to continue...we'll see :) Sorry if I totally sent you like five email messages.<p> 


	5. Funeral

Thank you all very much for your kind reviews. And thank you Noelle&Rachael for helping me out with this story. :)

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><p>You know that feeling, right before you puke, when your mouth goes really dry and a lump forms in your throat?<p>

Yea, Finn's totally experiencing that feeling like, _right now._

He's leaning against his locker, and it takes all his willpower not to bend over and rest his head between his knees, because he's definitely feeling dizzy, too. And lightheaded. And just overall, really really bad.

How. How the hell did he manage to mess everything up so badly? For some odd reason, he figured he'd be able to swoop in after everything that has happened and apologize to Rachel and she'd forgive him and they'd ride off into the sunset...or something. Not…not _this_.

He twirls the damned flower between his fingers, his heart clenching at the thought of losing her…_again. _He closes his eyes, yet the image of her kissing that jackass is permanently tattooed in his head. God…he can't believe it. He simply can't.

What does she even _see _in him? All he does is put everyone down all the time and make them feel bad and that's totally not cool. Finn knows he's a terrible dancer but that doesn't mean he needs to be called out on it all the time. And Kurt, Santana, and Mercedes didn't need to be put down either. How could Rachel fall for him again, after _everything _that he's done to her? He freaking lied to her, used her, and allowed his friends to throw eggs at her.

And she let him kiss her. What the fuck.

Okay, Finn knows he hasn't exactly been a saint in the category of treating-Rachel-right either, and he totally doesn't even deserve her forgiveness, but he knows he certainly would never _ever_ do something like that.

And what the hell was with Quinn's comment? Literally all it did was scare the absolute shit out of him. Is she planning to, like, get Rachel kidnapped or something? Or like find a way to get him mugged? Whatever she is planning, he now knows to stay way clear of her. But since Mr. Schue said that the two rooms in New York would be separated by gender, he's not so sure if he can protect Rachel from her. Ugh. Fantastic.

He rakes his hand though his hair, the other still clutching the damned tulip. What was he thinking? She wouldn't take him back…he is so stupid.

So damned stupid he should just give up now and transfer to a different school because, well, _what the hell is he going to do now_?

The hallway seems muffled to him, and he can't really tell how much time has passed. He's just standing there, with his head hung and his shoulders slumped holding a tulip like the idiot that he is. God. Everything is so fucked up.

"…Finn?"

His head jerks up, which he immediately regrets 'cause it makes his head swim a little. Rachel's standing in front of him, holding her books and looking absolutely freaking adorable.

His breath seems to have left his entire body. God, how, after all this time, can she have such an effect on him? He swallows thickly. "Hey, Rach."

She smiles nervously, her eyes trained on his shoulders. "Hi, Finn. Look, I just wanted to say that I think what you said earlier about us singing a duet for Nationals is a really good idea. I mean, I know Quinn shot it down, but…"

She ducks her head, just like she always does when she's hesitant, and it's all he can do not to bend down and press his lips to hers and wrap his arms around her tiny little frame and press her up against the lockers and…

Focus, Finn.

"I completely agree," he interrupts, licking his lips.

Her smile widens and she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "Excellent. We'll just have to get the rest of the club to agree with us. And you…well, you'll have to convince Quinn that it's a good idea too."

"Yea, about that…" He is suddenly very aware that the flower is still in his hand. He runs his thumb over the stem. Fuck. Should he still give it to her? Has she even noticed he's holding it yet? What if she notices? He can't just say he broke up with Quinn because Sue's speech made him realize he's still in love with her so he went and bought a tulip as a part of his apology/ I'm –in-love-with-you speech only to find her kissing St. Jackass and now he's in a serious pickle, now can he?

But then his hand twitches and her eyes immediately dart to the flower. He sees hurt flash across her expression. "Is that for Quinn? Maybe that will help her to understand…"

"N-no." Her eyes widen in confusion and he quickly shakes his head. "The flower isn't for Quinn. I-uh…" He wipes his free hand on his jeans 'cause it's suddenly gone all clammy.

"Is everything okay, Finn?" she asks softly, frowning.

"I broke up with Quinn."

There. He said it. He feels a bit better.

She merely blinks at him. He's not really sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "You…what?"

"I…broke up with her."

"When?"

His mouth is dry. He looks around anxiously, hoping that Quinn isn't anywhere within earshot. "Right after Jean's funeral. I know, it certainly wasn't the _best _time for me to do it, but I couldn't wait any longer and—."

"—Why?" she whispers. He glances down at her, and she's once again looking past him at the lockers, and she's shrugging her shoulders a little and she looks so vulnerable and _shit. _Why the hell did he ever hurt her in the first place?

But how can he even answer her? Should he just _tell her_? Everything? The whole truth? What if she rejects him? He's not sure he can handle that.

He decides to tell at least some of the truth. "It just…doesn't feel right with her, you know? Sue's speech about that tether really hit me and, I dunno…it wasn't working with Quinn."

There's a long pause. People shuffle past them, but Finn doesn't notice. He's too focused on Rachel, who is slowly processing his words. Her mouth parts slightly, and her eyes flicker up to lock with his.

Oh, God. She knows. She _totally_ knows. He starts to panic a little, but then his voice of reason kicks in. Why wouldn't she know? They're tethered. That's it. Right there.

"So…" her voice is a bit shakier. "Then who is that flower for?"

_Just tell her, dude. _

His heart in his mouth, he lifts his arm so the tulip rests in-between them. He twirls it, the edges of his mouth turning up in a flirty smile. "Why? You want it?" he asks softly.

But then a voice has to go and ruin it all. "Rachel, there you are! I am so sorry about what happened today. I don't understand what Mr. Schuester's motives are when clearly if we centered the show around you we would win." Ah, look who it is. Jesse stops annoyingly close to Rachel and blinks stupidly at Finn. "Oh hello, Finn. Did I interrupt something?"

_Only the chance of us getting back together, jackass._

Rachel's expression freezes and Finn sees her slipping away. Great. Awesome. His chances are probably completely ruined now that Jesse showed up. The image of them kissing that he had been trying to forget now appears right before his eyes, and all he wants to do is go to bed and never wake up.

His jaw clenches, but he keeps his annoyance in check. "Jesse. No, you weren't interrupting anything at all. Here, Rach. I found this tulip leftover in the choir room and I'm not really sure where it came from, but I don't know what to do with it so do you want it?"

Without looking at him, her small hand tentatively pulls the flower out of his. "Thanks," she whispers.

Finn shoves his hands into his pockets. "Well, I should probably head home. Talk to you later Rachel, Jesse."

He nods at Jesse and then chances a glance back at Rachel. He hopes she sees the significance behind his small smile before he turns and walks down the hallway.

A part of him can't stop thinking about her kiss with Jesse. That part wants to give up entirely, 'cause apparently she's back with him and she even told him he doesn't have a say in her relationship decisions anymore. But then…there's a larger part of him that will never, _ever_ give up on her.

Because he saw the hope. He saw the hope and relief in her eyes when he told her that he finally, _finally_ got rid of his train-wreck relationship with Quinn. And when he held up the flower, offering himself to her, just like he had planned on doing in the auditorium, that part of him knew she would say yes. And he believes that if he tries again, they may get their second chance.

He totally doesn't deserve it, but Rachel was always bigger than that, wasn't she? Because she's _Rachel_. And she's awesome. And beautiful. And smart.

And he's totally in love with her again. Come to think of it, he never really stopped loving her.

He just got a little….derailed.

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><p>I may or may not update with New York. I mean it this time. :P<p> 


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